Will of Fire Manor
by TheEchoingSoul
Summary: Hinata, after an eventful night, finds herself living in a crumbling manor with some very interesting characters, such as two squabbling brothers & a one-eyed landlord. Everything is not as it seems as strange organizations come into play and just what is this "Pandora" project? Multi-pairings.
1. Water Lilies

The biting chill caressed her exposed skin, making the teen shiver in her thin off-the-shoulder teal top. Goosebumps rose on her arms and bare legs even though she was running. The bluette was running late this evening due to the extra shift she took at work. She quickly glanced at her watch as she waited to cross the street. She was nearly seven minutes late. Ino and Temari would not be pleased. Those two were all about being punctual for these kinds of things.

The girl cast her glance to the sky and sighed inwardly. It was going to rain in about an hour. She silently cursed herself for not wearing a jacket. Well, the news had stated that it was _supposed _to be clear and humid tonight, but they were wrong. The weather, for the past month, had been really off. If the forecast called for sunny weather then it would usually rain or cloud over, if it was to storm then the skies would be blue and clear. It was all highly annoying, but Hinata had a thing for guessing the weather. All she had to do was look outside and she could guess it spot on.

So then why did she forget to wear a jacket?

Simple, she was running late and left it at work.

The traffic light ahead signaled for the pedestrians to cross and Hinata followed the crowd in a hurry. A part of her wondered why she was even _bothering _to hurry to her destination. Realistically, she didn't even want to arrive or meet up with the others to do _this again._ However, the bluette knew she had no other options. Each of them had their own reasons for doing this and she was in far too deep to just back out now. The others were counting on her. She couldn't let them down. She couldn't let herself quit.

Though she _really _wanted to, but quitting would be harder than joining. That much she knew. Just four months ago a girl had wanted to quit. The price: a black-eye, a missing canine, swollen jaw, and bruises all along her body.

It had been one of the worst things Hinata had ever seen and done. But these rules were in place for a reason; to keep them moderately safe and quiet about what they were doing. They seemed so simple;

having sex

2. Don't tell _anyone_

3. The penalty for wanting out is a group beating and silence

4. Cash only

5. Every Friday. No exceptions

To think that nearly four months ago all of it had just been a game. Hinata couldn't understand as to how and why it escalated into _this_. Every Friday, she felt like a wretched creature that was going to be thrown into the depths of hell. Every day she tried to summon the courage to get out, but when she finally arrived on Friday all that confidence went straight out the metaphorical window. She was pathetic, that much she knew.

The street lights started to dim, the crowd had already dwindled to a few stragglers and couples on their way to some pubs downtown. Hinata stuck closer to the shadows, not liking the quiet void that was beginning to surround her. Her heeled sandals resounded off the concrete as she moved: the sound echoing in her ears. Her paranoia began to rise the further she walked. She cast a few worried glances behind her as she tried to hurry her pace; feeling like someone was watching her. She turned around and kept her eyes forward, relieved to see that she was almost at the corner.

In the distance she could make out the slight silhouettes of her friends. The easiest to spot were Temari and Sakura, being that the former was the tallest and the latter had pink hair. Hinata could make out Ino next, but dread filled her as she spotted her last friend on the ground.

Forgetting that she would be scolded for being late, Hinata broke out into a quick sprint. The others turned their heads as she neared. The bluette could feel her heart plummet into her stomach when she finally understood what was going on. She slowed to a stop next to Sakura and stared down at Tenten's crumpled form on the ground. The brunette was holding her stomach, a trickle of blood escaping the left side of her mouth. Her whole outfit was wrinkled and covered in filth from the street and undersides of shoes.

Hinata didn't need to ask as to what happened. The answer was obvious. Tenten had expressed to her for awhile about leaving the group. The girl had found a stable job and was working on going back to school and her mother's health had drastically improved. The girl didn't need to do _this _anymore. Hinata envied her best friend, but was happy for her nonetheless. However, seeing her friend now, the bluette wished Tenten's life had stayed how it used to be.

Hinata paused and berated herself for even thinking such a horrible thing. It was cruel, but Hinata knew that Tenten knew that this would happen. It was _the _strictest rules of the five that they had. Ino looked over at Hinata and indicated to Tenten coldly, "You know what has to be done."

Hinata walked closer to Tenten. The girl's lavender tinted eyes met her friends brown ones, making her want to cry, but Tenten only silently pleaded for her to get it over with. _That's right_, Hinata thought, _Tenten's mother is going to be released from the hospital tomorrow. _

Hinata held back tears as she lifted her foot hesitantly. This wasn't something she _ever _wanted to do, but she had to. The others were watching her, they were following protocol, what they all had originally agreed on. The bluette sent her foot into the brunette's stomach, hitting her arms in the process. She silently apologized to Tenten, Tenten's mother who would see the bruises, and to herself for being weak and doing something like this.

After a few more kicks, Temari and Sakura deemed the penalty complete. They forced Tenten to swear to not tell anyone about what they were doing less she wanted there to be an _accident_. The beaten girl only nodded, yelping when Ino pulled her hair and pushed her back onto the cold ground.

"Let's go, girls." Ino stated after flipping her long blonde hair at Tenten. They all started to follow her, Hinata the only one to turn and glance back at her friend. Tenten didn't look at her as she stood and limped in the opposite direction. It hurt to know that she had caused the girl some of that pain.

Hinata forced herself to face forward as the four of them walked through the streets. She knew that all had lingering mixed feelings about what had transpired. Ino wasn't always the nicest person, but she was close to each of them. In fact, next to Tenten, Ino is Hinata's best friend. She was loud and dramatic, but caring.

She shifted her eyes to Sakura, the pinkette. The girl was the same age as Ino and her, considerably intelligent, and very strong. She was headstrong, stubborn, emotional, loyal, and quick to use her fists. However, she could be highly sentimental and caring. Hinata then looked at Temari, the oldest girl there. She had blonde hair like Ino's only darker. She's prudent, blunt, and has more of a tough demeanor, but she's not all bad! She can be very supportive and, next to Sakura, had the strongest punch in the group. However, she never really bonded with Tenten due to some past incident between the two.

Hinata stared at her shoes as she self-examined herself. She was shy and not as loud as the rest, and lacks confidence. What did she bring to her friends? A portrait of calm? Weather warnings? She briefly thought back to how they met one another and shook her head. This wasn't their fault.

If any cars were to drive down that barren street at this time of night they would see four girls. Two blondes, one a pinkette, and the last a bluette all dressed up for a night out. They would assume they were headed to some club downtown or pub, though they all were underage, for some fun and dancing. They would glance at them a few times but then reach the end of the street. None of the girls deluded themselves to what they were doing. They wore clothes that they knew that-if needed-they could run in. For Ino that meant strappy stilettos, though no one knew how she could run in those, boots, strappy sandals, and low heels.

They each had their own sense of style, but these outings called for more skin and coordination. Ino would play the sultry blonde in thigh length dresses, Temari was more of the biker girl in mini-skirts or ripped jeans, Sakura was meant to be bold but subtle so she would wear summer dresses or cute skirts, and Hinata was just that quiet girl in shorts who showed off her shoulders once in awhile. Tenten had been the traditional tomboy, but that didn't matter anymore. The group had one less member and this would surely cause some issues, but that only meant that they would have to change their styles.

This process was actually very complicated and preplanned. They all usually stuck with the styles they originally had, but sometimes they would switch it up just to boost their clients. They experimented and discovered what did work and what didn't work. It was a long process of trial and error that had been discussed at lengths.

"Hey, why were you late?" Sakura asked, looking back at Hinata. The silence and tension had grown thicker the further they walked. This was the outlet, a shift in conversation. Hinata knew Sakura didn't mean her any harm, but she still felt nervous.

"I'm sorry. I had to fill in for Haku. His mother was in the hospital again." Sakura inquired if the boy's mother was alright.

"I'm not sure, but her condition is slowly worsening." Hinata stated sadly, she really liked Haku. She had mistaken him for a girl at first, but after the misunderstanding and apologies they grew to be really good coworkers. The others had briefly met him and apparently his mother was a regular at the Yamanaka flower shop. In fact, Ino had almost grown up with the boy.

"I'll make sure to stop by the hospital tomorrow," Ino commented before going silent again.

For the remaining time no one tried to force conversation. They were still stiff about Tenten and the news on Haku's ailing mother hadn't lightened the mood at all. The atmosphere seemed to understand and the sky only grew darker, the temperature slowly dropping as the minutes ticked on. They made the final turn and crossed through an alley way. They paused at the rugged desolate fence for only a fraction of a second before scaling over it.

They had officially made it to Shukuba, the _pleasure _district. Hinata took one last glance back at the fence, the border between the downtown district and the _bad _district. Shukuba was the district that parents warned their children about, yet most adults visited. This district is, basically, the dirtiest and the most dangerous parts of Konoha. However, it was also the perfect place to make some dough.

They walked through the dim streets, staying close to the shadows so as not to draw too much attention. Hinata shivered, feeling nervous. She didn't feel right, this whole thing felt wrong and her nerves were frayed. Her paranoia was growing to the point that it was tangible. She nearly tripped over a piece of rubbish on the sidewalk, but recovered.

"Be careful," Temari scolded sharply. Hinata only nodded and continued on, reminding herself as to why she was here in the first place. She chanted it for the rest of their walk before they paused at a corner in a part of the lower section of Shukuba. Waiting for them across the street were a few cars, the windows nearly rolled all the way up.

The girls walked towards the cars and silently dispersed. Sakura and Ino heading towards a black Sedan, Temari to a red Ferrari, and Hinata shyly walked over to a black Lotus. The bluette carefully slid into the passenger side and turned to the man sitting beside her, keeping her head down. She felt sick to her stomach and wanted to run away. She hated this, all of it! The men had _families_ and were supposed to be respectable, but they weren't. They were dirty with smoke-scented breath, their lusty eyes, and hands. They held the money and expected everything to fall into place. How many times had Hinata seen this one? She knew his wife just gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but was he there with her now? No, he was sitting in a smoke-hazed car with an eighteen year old girl. It was sickening!

He reached a hand out and slowly pushed her hair so that her neck was visible. She shivered at the touch, nearly jumping out of her seat when he roughly pulled her closer. She winced slightly when his grip tightened on her arm, but turned towards him anyway. She pretended to be elsewhere, like this man wasn't slowly pressing himself into her, and that her back wasn't in pain from being at a strange angle. It wasn't working. She was overly aware of her surroundings.

The man was saying something to her, some useless words of assurance, but she had blocked him out for the moment. The only thing that ever comforted her about this was the fact that there wasn't sex involved. Instead just touching, but they could choose just how far it went. For Hinata this was what kept her sane throughout the process, the thought that she could choose. However, others tend to forget that there are things such as _limits_.

Hinata gasped and tried to push the man away when she felt a hand slid down her shorts. "S-s-stop," she stuttered. The man glanced down at her, quirking a perfect brow, "Come on, don't be a tease. I've been waiting for this a long time."

Something heavy twisted in the girl's stomach at his words. She could feel her anxiety claw up her throat and tears start to prickle her eyes, but she tried to keep herself from going hysterical. She knew that she would have to say something, but a part of her was terrified. What if he forced himself on her? Would he kill her if she refused or when he was satisfied?

"I-I-I'm n-not going t-to have s-sex with you." She inwardly flinched at her soft spoken stutter, but the anxiety didn't die down. She was tense and coiled like a snake ready to spring if she sensed danger. The man only sighed as he pulled back and lit a cigarette. He inhaled the cancer stick and blew out as he looked at the bluette with hazy eyes.

The girl felt almost cruel about rejecting him like that, but kept to herself. She glanced over at him but quickly looked away. He was angry. He slammed a fist onto the steering wheel before looking over at her, "How much, huh?"

Hinata's eyes widened and she could only mumble out a surprised, "huh?" before the man pulled out his wallet and took out a rather large stack of bills. He shoved them into her purse and then smirked coyly, "five-thousand, even."

Hinata gaped at him, frozen in spot. Her brain was trying to process what just happened. Thinking this meant "ok" the man proceeded to pull her to him, roughly sliding his hands under her shirt. Hinata didn't mean to but she gasped at the sensation before trying to pull away. He held tight to her, only letting go when she hit him square in the nose. He reeled back in pain and Hinata felt her head snap to the side. After a few seconds she finally registered that she had just been slapped in the face. She could feel the hot tears gather in her eyes as the pain became prominent.

With shaking fingers, Hinata fumbled to open the car door. Her fingers slid around the latch and pulled up as she leaned her shoulder to push out. As if on reflex she grabbed her purse and hurried to step out of the car.

"Where do you think you're going, bitch?" The man's voice was nasally. His hand lashed out and grabbed onto the girl's long locks in an attempt to pull her back, but it only caused Hinata to trip and slam her head against the door. She winced in pain and her hands attempted to pry his off.

A car door slammed open followed by the sound of clicking heels against the ground, "Get the fuck off of her!" Ino punched the man's hands until he let go of Hinata's hair, taking a few strands with him in the process.

By then Temari and Sakura had also noticed the commotion and were hurrying towards them as Ino yanked Hinata to her feet and pulled her away from the car. Hinata held onto her friend like she was a lifeline, her whole frame quaking. Tears poured out of her eyes and she wanted to just throw up and sleep for eternity.

The sound of cars driving away seemed distant as did her friends' yells. After what felt like hours Ino softly began to run a hand through Hinata's hair as a sign of comfort.

"What the fuck just happened?" Temari exclaimed. She wasn't angry at Hinata, but the girl still felt like the anger was directed at her.

"Come on, we should all head back." Sakura calmly said. She was tired and the whole situation had turned rather sour. The worst part was that a group of people were coming towards them, and Sakura had a bad feeling.

Hinata also noticed and tried to compose herself, but she couldn't stop herself from shaking. The four quickly started back the way they came, picking up their pace when the group behind them picked up theirs. It was almost half a block later when Temari angrily turned around and cracked her knuckles, "What the fuck you want?"

The group walked a few more steps closer before they started to circle them. "So, how much do you fine ladies make?"

"Excuse me?" Ino asked, deciding to play dumb.

"Don't act cute, blondie. I know what you were doing." One of them, possibly the leader, stated. He tone was superior and Hinata had to grab Ino to keep her from yelling at the guy. "In fact, I now know all of your faces. Prostitution is illegal, you all could go to jail for it."

"What do you want?" Sakura asked, her green eyes narrowing. The others started to get it too, the implications he was making.

"Come now, no need to be cold. Just a little deal, no biggie," he waved his hand to emphasize his point. Temari growled low in her throat in response, "How about this? Leave us the fuck alone and you can keep your balls intact."

"Ohhh, scary~" the group started to laugh with him. They obviously did not know Temari or Sakura. One of the guys tried to grab Ino from behind, but Hinata noticed and pulled Ino away. That's when all hell broke loose.

The group of about six or so guys all jumped in, trying to grab them. Temari elbowed one in the face before kicking him in the stomach while Sakura punched one of them in the face. Hinata and Ino also engaged in some minor fighting, just before thug one grabbed Ino's hair. The blonde cried out in pain as he pulled out a knife. The others froze, unsure as to what they should do. It was then that Ino amazed them by lifting one heeled foot and kicked back before elbowing the guy to get away. The four girls quickly ran down the street, not caring if they were noticed anymore.

They were about two blocks from the fence when some of the thugs cut them off; the girls quickly ducked into an alley to hide for the moment. "Fucking hell," Temari cursed as she tried to rack her brain for any ideas.

"We should split up," Sakura suggested.

"Are you stupid? Don't you know that's how people die in the movies?" Ino exclaimed in both a mix of fear and annoyance.

Sakua rolled her eyes, "There are other ways out of here. Another two blocks over is the main street where a crowd of people are. However, the two that go that way will draw most of the group. The other way is to continue down this alley into the lower sections of the downtown area."

"Sounds good enough to me, now who wants to take what?" Temari asked, "Personally, I think I can outrun them two blocks."'

"I'll go with you that way." Sakura volunteered, which left Hinata and Ino to navigate the alley.

The two didn't complain, knowing that Temari and Sakura were more of the sporty type. They had a better chance of getting to the main street than they did. The group separated into pairs and set off, listening for footfalls. Hinata took a glance back and spotted two of the thugs running after them. She silently prayed that Sakura and Temari would be alright.

Ino hurriedly dragged Hinata as they raced down the long alley. Heavy footsteps pounded behind them, starting to gain on them. They had just put some distance between them when Ino's heel snapped off, sending her to her knees. She cursed as it bled, but stood up only to wince when she tried to run.

"Shit, my ankle." Hinata slung Ino's arm over her shoulder and helped her to hobble down the alley until backing them into a small niche. They ducked behind the trashcans and tried to catch their breath. Ino was ready to start crying from both the pain and situation.

"Don't w-worry, i-it's going t-to be fine," Hinata hugged her knees to herself, not even believing herself.

Ino apparently didn't either, "How, I can't run on this stupid ankle!"

Hinata looked up at the sky and could tell it was going to rain in a few minutes. She turned her eyes to her worried friend. Normally Ino would be calm and collected, but this wasn't a normal situation. Ino wasn't capable of running and that disadvantage is what scared the blonde.

The two tensed as the footsteps came closer. "I-Ino, hand me your shoe." Hinata ordered. Ino gave her a questioning look but slid off her undamaged stiletto and handed it to her friend.

Hinata felt her nerves tremble at the thought of what she was planning to do, but knew that she was the only one with two working feet. Ino wobbled to her feet, knowing that she wasn't going to like whatever stupid plan was going through her friend's head. "This isn't something stupid like you charging them so I can run away, right?"

Hinata gave her friend a sheepish look. Bulls-eye, Ino had hit the mark and she was none too pleased. The bluette was no superhero and even engaging in any sort of violence wasn't like her. However, Ino appreciated the sentiment.

Before Ino could protest against the ridiculous plan Hinata jumped out of the niche and started swinging the shoe around, hoping to hit something. The unsuspecting thug was nailed in the face and then the arm. His companion rushed to try and help him, grabbing the girl's hand. The bluette used her other hand and ended up punching the man. His grip weakened and she ended up pushing him into a trashcan.

Hinata felt her breathing become abnormal and frantic and she paused to look at the damage. A part of her wanted to apologize, but she knew she had to get away from them. The only problem was that Ino's pace would be quick to catch up to and the two thugs were getting back on to their feet. Hinata tightened her grip on the shoe, adrenaline starting to course through her. She would have to keep them busy for at least another two minutes.

Easier said than done.

The bluette no longer had the element of surprise and the alleyway was pretty narrow, which was both good and bad. Good because that meant that only one of them would be able to reach her at a time, but bad because she wouldn't be able to move as much. The two stalked towards her, one threatening her while the other wiped some blood away from his forehead, stared at it, and then glared at her.

Well, Hinata had a feeling that she was in deep shit. Even more so for, at that moment, the gates of heaven decided to open up and unleash a downpour of rain. Hinata wanted to curse herself for always being right about this kind of thing, but the sudden fist near her face was currently occupying her attention. She felt herself fall backwards, narrowly avoiding the punch, but wasn't fast enough to block against the leg that swung out at her. She hit the ground hard and winced as pain exploded in her back and stomach.

She looked up in time to see a foot coming her way. She narrowly avoided it by turning her head. She quickly kicked his other leg, succeeding in making him fall back. His companion tried to get around him, but ended up being taken down too. Hinata got to her feet and backed up a few steps, her mind screaming that she should get the hell out of there. However, she knew that she still had to buy time.

The two had finally settled themselves and the second thug was in front this time. He was more cautious than the other and took steadied steps forward, ready to spring. Hinata took another step back, not liking this one bit. After what felt like several tense eons, the guy sprung at her with a yell. Hinata continued to back up, trying to dodge each kick and punch. He got to the side of her, which made the bluette turn sideways to get away, but this was a terrible idea. Her back was now met with a brick wall and the two thugs were standing comfortably in front of her.

The two closed in, one cracking his knuckles while they glared her down. With all of this happening Hinata felt utterly defenseless and vulnerable. How in great Kami was she going to get out of this? All she had was a shoe! However, the thought of dying threw her into a state of panic. It must have been the adrenaline because Hinata was sure that she never would have fought like this. She was squirming and swinging the shoe around like some sword, even managing to stab one of the guys in the eye. When her arm was finally grabbed she began to kick out at anything she could reach, even finding herself being pushed up the wall. When her feet were finally back on solid ground she lunged forward and blindly lashed out at anything, even hitting the wall in the process.

Once both forms were crumpled to the ground Hinata turned on her heels and began to sprint through the rain, tears pouring down her face. There was no other instinct stronger than the one telling her to get her butt in gear and get as far away from there as she possibly could.

Her heart was beating so erratically, Hinata was surprised that it hadn't burst out of her chest yet. She was still running, not yet aware that she was utterly lost in some unknown area, but the thought of stopping was terrifying. If she stopped then all the prior events to this point would resurface and Hinata didn't want to deal with them. She didn't want to believe that this was karma for what happened to Tenten or any of the trouble that she had caused no matter if directly or not.

However, she was eventually made to stop once she realized that she was at the old railway. Hinata collapsed to her knees, letting the rocks and wood engrave themselves into her legs. The rain was only making her feel worse by the second. She felt pathetic and weak and tired. Nothing like this was supposed to happen because nothing like this ever did before. Of course she knew that what she had been doing went against everything she was ever taught, but what was she supposed to do?

Hinata knew she didn't deserve this, no one did, but a part of her felt disgusted with herself. When had she sunk so low? The rain that had been beating against her head subsided and she slowly looked up, raising the stiletto as a reflex. Her lavender tinted eyes met piercing teal ones.

Hinata felt highly uncomfortable with his presence. She could feel him study her and even though she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to stand up. If anything, she enjoyed the fact that his umbrella was shielding her from most of the rain. "U-ummm, m-may I help you?" she asked nervously.

He merely blinked, his eyes drawn to something on her face before looking away, "Go home."

Well, this was awkward. She looked at the ground and let out some half crying string of words that translated in to, "I don't have one to return to."

The auburn haired man sighed at this, closing his eyes, "If interested, I know a place that has a room available."

"W-where is i-it?"

"A few blocks from here." He stated monotonously. He took a step away, letting the rain fall back onto Hinata. After a few steps he paused but didn't turn around. Hinata got to her feet and started following him. She wasn't exactly sure where he was leading her, but it seemed far better than staying out in the rain.

* * *

**AN:** Okay, so this is a trial to see what you, the readers, think so far. I have the next two chapters all typed up, but I've never really written something like this before so please be patient with me. Also, I do not own Naruto and never will, but I may toy with Kishimoto's characters for my own amusement.


	2. Water Lilies II

The only sound between the two was the beating of rain against the ground and roofs. It seemed to fill in the awkward void between them, allowing the silence to be nearly tolerable. Hinata shivered in her wet clothes as she stared at the ground, glancing up every once in a while to see where she was going. She was thankful for the umbrella above her head that kept part of the rain off of her, though it really wouldn't make a difference at this point.

They had been walking for possibly ten minutes. Ten long minutes of silence that only made Hinata feel more on edge than she already did. However, being cold and tired dampened her paranoia for the moment. This stranger had come out of nowhere and offered her a place to live. Hinata was often told not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but something really had to be off about this! This wasn't one of those mangas that Ino liked to read. This was life: cold and hard. People just don't go around offering shelter and housing, right?

They turned a flooded corner and continued to about the middle of the block before crossing the street. Gaara paused, which caused Hinata to yield also. She followed his eyes and stared up at the manor. It was large and once had been grand, but now the paint was fading and some of it was rusting. It also appeared that the lawn hadn't been taken care of for some time as vines were encroaching up the walls. Honestly, to anyone else it would look like some dingy building.

To Hinata, at that moment, she felt both awed and suspicious. The place reminded her of a fairytale but its low quality and lack of upkeep were a cause for concern. She glanced over at the rusted gate and caught the fire symbol that was added to the design. Hinata glanced around, but found no hint of what the place was called.

"Will of Fire Manor," the auburn headed man stated calmly. Hinata looked over in surprise, but couldn't inquire about anything due to him opening the gate. She followed, closing the gate carefully behind her.

The manor was almost nicer looking on the inside rather than the outside. The floors were tile and the wallpaper a faded dark color. In the entrance, located on the wall, were mailboxes and further inside was another set of doors, these ones glass. Behind those dingy doors she could make out the foyer. Set further back was a grand desk and a small back room. The arch on the left and right led to other corridors and rooms that she couldn't see. A staircase was set off to the side, dusty and secluded.

Hinata stared at her drenched sandals as the guy rung the bell at the desk. She was all too aware of the noise of water droplets hitting the floor where she stood. She took a quick glance around, feeling awkward and terribly shy with her unfamiliar surroundings. The bluette was so caught up in watching the water pool at her feet that she jumped when the backroom door finally opened with an ear raping creak that made her cringe.

The other two occupants didn't bat an eye at the horrible sound and instead glanced at one another. "What is it, Gaara?" Hinata looked up at the man. For some odd reason from the tip of his nose to somewhere past his neckline was covered with a mask. He had nearly gravity defying gray-white hair that made Hinata question if he used gel or some form of leave in spray. Another oddity was that he only showed one eye, the other covered by a headband he had on.

The auburn haired guy, apparently Gaara, only looked at Kakashi. The man sighed and rubbed the back of his head before turning to the female, "Welcome to the Will of Fire Manor, I'm the landlord Kakashi Hatake. The rent is six hundred a month and includes the necessities such as heat and water. Garbage day is every Thursday."

Hinata stared at him, unsure as to what she should say. "H-how d-did you…?"

"No one sets foot in this place unless they need a place to stay. If Gaara brought you then that just proves my point." The man turned back to Gaara, "I'm sorta busy at the moment. Can you watch her for an hour or so?"

Gaara closed his eyes, as if annoyed, but nodded. He walked over to the staircase and began to ascend, Hinata hurrying to follow after him, "T-Thank you, Mr. Hatake."

The man waved her off, making a mental note to have her call him Kakashi, before heading into the backroom. He sat down in a comfy chair and took up his novel, starting right where he left off. Yeah, Gaara could manage to watch their new occupant until he finished reading.

The two walked up four flights of endless stairs and then walked down the hallway to the fifth door on the left side. The door was like all the others, wood and plain with a few scratches and chips in it. Hinata followed him inside, closing the door quietly behind her. She looked up and took in the apartment, surprised with how spacious it was. The room even managed to fit a large bay window that overlooked the city and streets below.

Hinata was going to take another step in, but the sound of water hitting the floor reminded her that she was soaking wet. She stayed in the doorway, shivering slightly at the sudden temperature change. She took another glance around at what was visible to her, such as the multitude of cacti growing in pots by the windows and the multitude of photos on the wall in all variant shapes and sizes. It was unbelievable that the room could be so colorful.

"Aren't you going to come in?" Gaara asked as he took off his jacket. Hinata went back to staring at her shoes, "W-well I-I don't want t-to ruin the f-floor." After managing to say what she needed to, the bluette sneezed and shivered.

A very awkward silence filled the room. Hinata studied the floor intently, embarrassed for sneezing and for dripping all over the floor.

"Would you like to use the shower?" He finally asked after a few more awkward moments had passed. The teal eyed man felt strange himself, offering to let someone use his shower. Was this weird? Maybe. Was this awkward? Very much so.

"I-I have n-nothing t-to change i-into," Hinata replied as a blush tinted her cheeks. She tried not to let her mind wander off to the fact that, without clothes, she would be naked in a stranger's apartment.

Cue a pregnant pause.

He coughed, "I'll ask Shiho to let you borrow some while yours dry."

"I c-couldn't possibly impose," Hinata then realized that being completely soaked in the apartment of a guy you just met was far worse than imposing on a neighbor she had yet to meet. She didn't like the notion of having to rely on this Shiho person, but she would make it up to them somehow, "Yes, t-thank you."

"The bathroom is over on the right, second door down. Please leave your clothes outside the door." Hinata waited for him to leave before quickly shuffling over to the bathroom, cringing at the trail of water she left behind.

The bathroom itself was modern looking, probably installed a few years prior. It was fairly clean with a few things lying about, but this wasn't her bathroom. It didn't have to be sterile or even organized. She let herself smile at the thought of an obnoxiously rainbow bathroom with the toiletries left out for everyone to see. She pulled the shower-curtain back and leaned over to fiddle with the knobs. After several puzzles that involved turning and re-turning knobs while checking the water temperature the hot water finally poured out.

Hinata stripped off her wet clothes and was about to place them neatly outside the door when she found herself in a dilemma: should she include her undergarments or not? The very notion of him seeing her underwear made her turn red and feel like she was going to faint. But then again keeping those wet articles could cause discomfort or an awkward situation later. Feeling more than just embarrassed, Hinata settled with folding her undergarments into her other clothes and sending a prayer up to Kami.

She carefully opened the door a crack and peered out before softly placing the clothes out in the hall with a hand towel underneath to soak up some of the excess water. After that was done she got into the shower and felt her painfully tense muscles relax. In that space it didn't matter that she was showering in some guy's apartment or the fact that she had just beaten some thugs with a shoe, she was at peace with herself.

However, hot water is only one part of the bathing process! Hinata groped around, reading labels on different bottles before deciding on which ones were useable to her. She made sure to use a very small amount and placed everything back in their original places. After several more minutes, Hinata turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself. She walked over to the door and slowly cracked it open. On the floor was a fresh pile of dry clothes.

The bluette reclosed the door and looked over the articles without much complaint. The clothes were baggy but tasteful. She slipped on the t-shirt and then the black sweatpants feeling clean and refreshed. Her eyes met herself in the mirror and she felt her breath lodge itself in her throat. On the right side of her face was an ugly purple-brown bruise that had swollen up.

Hinata delicately touched the sore flesh. This was the result of that man from earlier when he had struck her across the face. She sighed inwardly before looking herself over for any other large markings. There were a few minor bruises on her arms and some scrapes on her back, and she was sore, but nothing serious. She ran a comb through her hair, hating the knots and snarls that had accumulated. Once done, she walked out of the room and loitered in the hall, staring at the photographs.

Almost none of them had frames, making the whole thing look like some sort of mix and match collage. Still, each photo was beautiful in its own right. Many of them were taken from different angles, the lighting shifted, and different features accented. Many of them were of the same picture but with minor differences, such as the one of a small dew drop on a leaf. In one version the picture was taken at an aerial view, while the second was at eye level and very close, emphasizing the small dollop of water.

Hinata found her eyes lingering on many of the photos, most of abstract things that made her feel either happy or terribly sad. It was when her eyes caught the photo of a beautiful lily that she truly felt something akin to happiness reach her. Lilies were one of the most prominent flowers that her mother used to grow in their garden. Just looking at a lily made Hinata feel warm, but it could also make her cry the hardest. But this wasn't the time to cry, so Hinata pushed the feeling aside and tried to think about the positives.

1. She may have found a place to live

2. The manor has hot water

3. Tenten's mother was going to be released later

The last one was more of a reminder that she shouldn't just focus on herself. Other people had their own problems and issues. She continued to look over the photographs in fascination, making note of the ones that she liked the most. Some of them carried such weight that Hinata had a harder time truly grasping their meaning, while at the same time feeling drawn to them because they were so complex. The one that now held her attention was that of a woman in a fetal position underwater. She was outstretched, her neck leaning back and her arms in an almost stretching position. The water closest to her was lined in interlacing streaks of faded white, blue, and gold. Up at the very top of the water a light was softly trickling into the darker waters below.

It was something so beautiful yet mystifying. The soft water tones and the gold light all blended so beautifully and the whole image just seemed to scream out to her. She smiled at the photo, feeling its pull. She wasn't a literary genius and she may be interpreting the photo incorrectly but, personally, if felt like looking at someone being reborn or awakened from the darkness that was unconsciousness.

"Fate," Hinata jumped at Gaara's voice, turning violently around to stare at him. The young man had just come up behind her to see what she looking at. His eyes met hers, "That's the title, _Fate._ It was meant to represent the paths in life, such as darkness and light."

"I never would have guessed that," Hinata remarked as she looked back at the picture to try and see it from his point of view.

"What did you believe it to mean?"

"Rebirth," she admitted before continuing on, "These lines here all look like a shell so I thought that maybe it was expressing escape from confinement, and the light up here at the top seems to be like opening our eyes to the world while the darkness at the bottom may be death."

She nervously watched as he turned from her, worried that she had offended him, but was surprised when he indicated to another photo and asked for her interpretation. She moved closer and stared at the entirely black shiny picture before she slowly began to make out a few gray lines that were ascending. Not knowing what to really say, Hinata spoke the first idea that came to mind, "Burnt out creativity."

"Explain," he calmly ordered, listening intently as she talked and followed her movements when she hovered over a certain section of the photograph to support her point. Hinata herself didn't notice that he was silently enjoying the discussion and just went with it, finding that she was enjoying the photos and each of their views on the meanings behind them.

"Where did you get all these from?" Hinata inquired after analyzing a few particularly uplifting versions of a daisy.

"I took them. I'm a photographer." Gaara stated as he placed the photo back on the wall. Hinata stared over at him in surprise. She hadn't been expecting that at first but, now that she looked around, she could clearly make out some of the equipment. Before anything more could be said there was a knock at the door. Gaara walked over and opened it up just a fraction to check who it was before fully opening the door. A tall man stood there. He towered over Gaara and-for whatever reason-Hinata noticed that his hair was in a low ponytail that lay against the front of his left shoulder.

His eyes glanced toward her before he shifted his gaze back to Gaara, "Perhaps I should stop by another time."

"No, Kakashi should be done in a few minutes." Gaara stated as he moved aside to let the taller man inside his apartment. The man removed his shoes before crossing the premises and politely introduced himself to Hinata as Itachi Uchiha.

"I-It's nice to m-meet you." Hinata slightly bowed, which was an old habit that probably would never die out for her. Itachi repeated the action, surprising Hinata.

For the next few minutes the three remained in silence as they glanced at photographs or looked out the window at the cascading rain. The small awkwardness was subtle and mainly between Hinata's nervousness at Itachi's sudden appearance and because of the fact that they were waiting for her to leave. It was unsettling, knowing that you were imposing on others with no other option.

Her eyes traced streaks of rain slowly falling down the window, her mind wandering. A lot had happened tonight and she still wasn't sure where she stood exactly. No one had asked any questions about what happened and they didn't seem like bad people, but what if they knew? Would they look down on her? At this point, did they believe her to be some unfortunate victim of abuse? Would she want them, anyone, to know the truth? No, of course not. This wasn't something anyone should have to know about, but would she do it again if the need arose? Would she walk back out on those streets and slide into cars again? Her own unwillingness to answer scared her.

"Miss Hinata," she looked over at Itachi. He held an ice pack out to her, "For the swelling." She nodded, thanking him as she took it and placed it on her cheek gingerly, hiding a wince at the sting. He didn't say anything further as he went back to standing by the counter.

Gaara stood further off, watching the exchange briefly. He silently sighed at his own inability to realize that he should have offered an ice pack himself. He had been preoccupied with other things that needed his attention. He glanced over at the clock, a full hour had passed since the girl had stepped foot through his front door. His eyes shifted back to some of the photographs on the wall, not looking at any of them particularly. To say that he hadn't enjoyed her commentary would be a blatant lie. The whole experience of seeing his photos in a new light was something that he'd never really experienced. Most people just took what he said as the meaning, never digging for their own. There are some that do, but most of the time they're ignored or it's derogatory.

As if knowing he was needed, Kakashi _finally _arrived. Hinata bowed to the two, thanking them for their hospitality before trying to give back the ice pack.

"You can return it some other time." Hinata looked over at the boy, unsure but nodded. She picked up her now dried clothes that Gaara had left on the counter before pausing to grab her still damp purse and a lone stiletto. Itachi raised a brow at the single shoe but didn't ask. He waited until the door was closed and the footsteps to fade before turning to the redhead, "Busy night."

Gaara almost let out a mix between a chortle and a heavy sigh. Itachi didn't know the half of it.

* * *

Hinata followed Kakashi down a flight of stairs and a short walk down the hall before stopping in front of a door. It was located on the right and had a small brass four attached to the wood. The door itself was like all the others she had seen thus far, plain and with minor chips and marks. The landlord pulled out a key and slid it into the lock, a small click rang out in the silent hall and he pushed the door inwards, gesturing for her to go in first.

The apartment was dusty, obviously not having been used for awhile, but it was spacious. The entrance hall was short and traditional Japanese with a small step. The floor was cool tile until reaching the small kitchen section where it was wooden. The window in what looked to be a living room was a bifold. At the moment, the only furniture in the room was a small couch and a coffee table.

"And there are two other rooms, a bed room and bathroom, located further down this hall," Kakashi began to walk through and explain the overlay of the apartment. "By the way, the washer and dryer are located in the basement. I'm also going to need to know how you're going to pay for the rent."

"H-how much was it a-again?" She asked nervously.

"Six hundred a month with necessities included." He stated patiently, watching as she opened her purse to rifle through for her wallet. When she opened her purse a large stack of cash fell out and made a small thud when it hit the floor. The man blinked a few times, but the view before him didn't change. He didn't say anything as she bent down and picked up the stack, her body shaking when she held the bills up. If anything, she seemed to be upset and angry.

His speculation wasn't far off. Hinata was generally upset by the cash because she knew where it came from. She remembered the amount that he had put in her purse, five-thousand dollars. The bluette didn't want the money. It was disgusting and tainted and she felt like some sort of thief for even still having it, but what was she going to do with it? She couldn't just throw it out, wasn't that illegal? But she didn't want it near her either!

She sighed as she put it back in her purse and pulled out her wallet. She opened the clasp and pulled out the money she had been saving for the past few weeks, almost a thousand dollars. She held it out for him to take. He casually took it and counted through it quickly before smiling and pulling a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket. He unfolded the crinkled sheet and smoothed it out on the counter before setting it down.

"This is a lease for the next six months and all that you'll need to know is here." He waited patiently as she picked up the paper and carefully read through it, asking questions when she was unsure of something. After nearly twelve minutes she placed the paper back on the counter and took the pen from Kakashi to sign it.

"Thank you very much. The water will be turned on tomorrow and I'll make sure to have the gas turned on no later than noon. Have a nice night." He gave a lazy wave before heading out the door, leaving Hinata alone in her new apartment.

The bluette headed over to the sink and placed the melting ice pack down, letting the water drain into the sewer. She walked over towards the window and glanced out at the sky. She sighed inwardly at the realization that the rain wasn't going to calm anytime soon. Taking a step back, Hinata checked to make sure the door was locked before sitting down on the couch.

She was highly overwhelmed inwardly and the full memory of the night tried to creep up on her. She fought it stubbornly, not wanting to analyze it. She was disgusted and hurt at her own actions, at the fact that she let it escalate so far. Her mind wandered back to the other girls and she prayed that they all made it out alright. Her mind was tortuous and punished her with images of the alternatives, which made Hinata feel worse than before.

Her ring tone suddenly went off, making Hinata nearly jump out of her skin in surprise. She didn't bother checking the caller ID, just wanting a distraction from her own thoughts, "Yes, Hinata speaking."

"Hello, Hinata. It's Kurenai, I was wondering if you could take the morning shift tomorrow as well as your normal one?"

"Oh, of course, it's no problem at all." Hinata said into the phone after a brief pause.

"Thank you. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning. Good night."

Hinata reiterated the farewell before hanging up her phone and sinking deeper into the couch. The morning shift wasn't something she was acquainted with. Normally, she'd take the mid-morning or afternoon shift due to time constraints and because it gave her something to do. Her eyes lingered on her phone's dim screen, reading the time and calculating how much she had left. It was almost midnight and morning shift started at five-thirty and it would last about twelve hours, which meant that she would get off work by five-thirty at night. After figuring that out, Hinata took the time to start looking over her finances. Rent was six hundred dollars and she normally made at least seven hundred and fifty dollars a month, sometimes a little more if she worked overtime. Normally, she worked between twenty-five and thirty hours a week, which really added up.

As long as she kept working at least twenty-five hours a week then she should have enough to cover the rent and enough money left over for a small portion of groceries. This could work out, at least for the next six months, and if she grew sick of the place then she could always go searching for another place to stay once the lease was up.

Hinata set three alarms to wake her up and curled up on the couch feeling warmer in the barren apartment than she had in a long time. Things would work out, somehow.


	3. The Girl in the Fire

Hinata awoke at four-thirty in the morning, groggy and confused as to where she was. She tiredly sat up, wincing at the soreness in her muscles and the dull aches that throbbed throughout various parts of her body. After sitting on the couch a moment realization began to dawn upon her and she took in that this space was now her apartment. Standing now, Hinata changed into her clothes from last night, folding the borrowed clothes and neatly placed them on the coffee table.

She rifled through her bag for a brush and hair-tie before heading to the bathroom to throw her hair into a ponytail. She stepped up to the mirror and in foreboding lightly ghosted her cheek with her hand, the movement being reflected in the mirror. The area was still bruised and looked horrendous on her pale face!

Hinata pulled herself away from her reflection, starting to worry about what she should tell the others if they inquired as to what happened. Hinata wasn't very good at lying, never really was. Of course she told lies like all children, but they were easy to see through. It was both a gift and a curse to be honest, but that's why she was better with telling half of the truth. That way there isn't any lying involved, just exempted details.

Deciding to worry about it later, Hinata grabbed her purse and shoved her wallet inside before heading towards the door. Her uniform was at work along with most of her things. They all were shoved inside a book-bag that she had stashed there to avoid it being stolen while walking the streets. However, Hinata now had a place to stay where she could house her belongings. A smile etched itself onto her lips at the prospect that she would no longer have to dodge around her coworkers or make excuses in order to wash her clothes at work.

Hinata walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind her before heading down to the foyer. She knew things were rather sudden, especially with all that had happened, but she wanted to just go with it for once instead of fighting it. She had a feeling that this was all too good to be true, but she just wanted to bask in what she was feeling when she looked down at the keys to _her _apartment. It drove away most of the negative thoughts that centered on just where she had gotten the extra money from. However, there was more stashed away. The simple thousand that she had been saving was for apartment searching, but she had a few other stashes which she deposited into a bank account.

She was crossing the foyer when she was called out to by the landlord. "G-Good morning, Mr. Hatake."

"Kakashi's fine. Where are you off to so early in the morning?" Hinata felt a little uncomfortable with his tone. It seemed too nice compared to the lazy manner he had exhibited the night before.

"I was called in for the morning shift and I should be back sometime after five this evening. Is that alright, Kakashi." It wasn't a question and Hinata was having a heart attack on the inside from her rudeness. Oh Kami, why did she say that? Why she was even upset in the first place she didn't fully understand!

Kakashi played off his shock with a small laugh and awkward rubbing of the back of his neck. He wasn't too surprised that the young lady hadn't stuttered, which he caught to be normal for her speech patterns, as she hadn't done it once while going over the lease. It seemed, to his observations thus far, that the bluette spoke with confidence when discussing legal issues and when asked double edged questions. However, this part of the observation was subject to change if future evidence doesn't support the initial observation.

"Some boarders just wake up and realize what they did and try to run away." Kakashi watched as her attention refocused on him and she nodded, assuring him that she would be staying awhile before quickly excusing herself, the stutter coming back with a vengeance.

Kakashi moved back to the reception desk once she was gone and elevated his legs on the wood casually. 'Why does she look so familiar?' the masked man leaned his chair back and pulled out his perverse book to read. He was interrupted a mere moment later when someone entered the foyer from the main entrance.

"And where were you, Sasuke?" Kakashi called out, not bothering to look up at the teen as he passes him to get to the stairs. He quickly took notice that the ravenette was limping heavily on one side, "Should I call Itachi or Naruto to come help you?"

Sasuke muttered a nasty retort before surrendering and walking over to Kakashi. He leaned against the desk and took the bandages that Kakashi handed him along with the healing salve and began to go about bandaging the cuts he had.

The room was silent save for the ripping of medical tape and band-aid packages. It was Kakashi who broke the silence first. "We have a new boarder. She just arrived late last night,"

The young Uchiha scoffed, "Great, another fangirl."

"Gaara brought her." Kakashi watched as Sasuke grew silent, mauling what he had just been told over. After finishing the first-aid he shrugged, "Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

The young man's voice was cold and uncaring with just a spark of interest. Kakashi turned back to his book, playing the whole thing nonchalantly, "Not really, just a little worse for wear and had a rather large sum of cash fall out of her purse."

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and pointedly made sure to look sideways so that they could see each other, "Is it connected with _that _organization?"

"Can't say for sure, but I was going to ask Gaara about it. For all I know he's keeping his enemies close to keep an eye on them. I'll keep you posted." Kakashi stated, signaling that the discussion was over. Sasuke che'd and continued up the stairs to the second floor, his limp not as pronounced as before.

* * *

Hinata stood outside her workplace nervously, unsure of what to do about her conflicting feelings. She wanted to go to work, but another part of herself was self conscious of the large bruise on her face. While on the bus she received many curious and piteous stares, a woman even slipped a hotline number for abusive boyfriends into her hand. Even children were peeking at her and started asking their parents questions that they were uncomfortable in discussing. It was suffocating! Hinata could feel her self-esteem draining with each whisper and stare directed her way.

Now, as she stood outside the restaurant and bar, she couldn't help fear that Kurenai would react the same way. Maybe they wouldn't even want her to work here anymore! It had been sheer luck that she had even scored this job, finding another would be even worse and the pay probably wouldn't be enough to cover her new rent requirement! She tried to calm down as she grasped the door handle. Taking a deep breath she counted to three, skipping one and two, before pulling the door open and forcing herself to go inside.

Hinata took a quick glance around and, after deeming the coast was clear, hurried to the employee locker room. She hurried to undo the lock and change into her work attire, a white button up blouse with a crimson name tag attached, a black skirt that fell to the lower part of the thigh, and a crimson apron that tied around the waist.

She shoved the clothes she had been wearing into the locker before heading out towards the kitchen. She made a detour to punch in her timecard then proceeded to the kitchen where she could hear Kurenai cutting some article of food on a board. Taking a deep breath she walked in and did her normal greeting, but her eyes stayed glued to the ground as she prayed that the bruise would just disappear.

Silence met her, giving Hinata a chance to glance up. Kurenai was staring at her with widened crimson eyes, her mouth open as if she was going to greet her back. Hinata shifted and moved over to the other cutting board and picked up the knife to start peeling potatoes, wanting to play the whole thing off. She felt embarrassed and frustrated tears started to form no matter how much she tried to choke them down. She really looked up to Kurenai and didn't want her to be disappointed with her or see her with something so controversial on her face.

Kurenai, though wanting to jump Hinata and demand to know what happened, composed herself and went back to prepping for the morning meal. She worked faster than normal, wanting to get all of the work out of the way so that she could sit down and have a proper conversation with her employee. She shouldn't jump to conclusions but her mind was racing with the possibilities of what could have happened from the time Hinata left work last night to now. When she had called her after eleven the girl seemed fine if not a bit worn out.

The brunette went to flip the eggs, leaving Hinata in charge of the salads and adding cut up fruit to the homemade yogurt stored in the fridge. The smells wafted through the air and would have normally made Kurenai smile, but not today. Instead of the sweet smell of fruits mixed with the sizzling cheese for the eggs, the whole room smelled bitter and like cough medicine. Was she the only one who noticed it? Perhaps her emotions were messing with her sense of smell.

Now that she thought about it, Hinata never talked about her home life. It was a taboo to even mention it as the room would get rather awkward and Hinata would find some excuse to leave or do something else. Kurenai wasn't stupid. She knew that Hinata kept a spare bag in her locker, that she listed a P.O. box for all her mail, and that she made excuses to wash her clothes here instead of at home, wherever that was. The girl had written an address down on the application, so perhaps she was just in a difficult situation with her family. Or she lied.

It was a sour thought to the woman, the prospect that Hinata had lied to her, or even could lie at all. She had known the girl for many months now and knew from the start that she was an honest person who just happened to be very shy due to a low self-esteem. It wasn't rocket science.

Kurenai was just finishing up when she noticed that Hinata was already done. The bluette was trying to leave the room without drawing attention and stiffened when called out to. The woman washed her hands and dried them on a hand towel, "Hinata, where did you get that bruise on your face?"

Hinata suddenly found her shoes fascinating and stared at them intently as she started to grope for a response, her stutter giving away any lie she may have tried to utter. She could feel the tears start to bubble up again as her frustration and embarrassment skyrocketed. "Y-You're not g-going t-to fire m-m-me r-right?"

Kurenai's eyed widened and she placed her hands on Hinata's shoulders, "Kami, no, why would I do something like that? You're a diligent worker and you're always on time, you've only broken three plates, and I can't find anything to complain about. I won't fire you for something un-work related."

Kurenai led them over to the break table and sat across from Hinata, but still held one of her hands to symbolize that she's here for her. "Now, Hinata, I really need to know what happened; not because I'm your boss, but because I worry about you."

Hinata used her free hand to rub away her tears, trying to formulate what she would say. She couldn't outright tell Kurenai what happened, she couldn't tell anyone…it was too embarrassing and shameful. Oh, if her father were to see her now he would have a field day! Hinata shifted, feeling the ache of her limbs and injuries she'd sustained. She felt more tears bubble up but swallowed them down. This whole thing was her own problem, not Kurenai's.

"I-I made a m-mist-take and d-did something I shouldn't h-have," Hinata nodded inwardly. She hadn't lied, just left out most of the details that she didn't want Kurenai to know. Knowing just what she had been doing would warp Kurenai's view of her, she would hate her, fire her, and Hinata couldn't live with that. Kurenai was like her second mother, someone that she looked up to and she didn't want her to hate her.

Would Kurenai hate her? Maybe she would sympathize and nothing would change. What if. What if. What if. What if. What if. What if. What if. What if they all knew? No, they couldn't find out! What would they all do? What would they say? Just how far would it spread? They'd hate her. Hate. Hate. Hate. Despise. Spurn. Laugh at. Whisper. Glare. Pity. No. No. No!

"Hey, Kurenai, I moved into an apartment last night after work. The building is a little rundown, but I'm really happy about it. The rent is a lot, so if you ever need someone to work overtime or double shifts don't hesitate to let me know." It felt like a robot was talking instead, but Hinata did feel a bit happy, it just wasn't computing correctly. Her mind had shut off that part of her brain and now she just wanted to work and get it over with.

Kurenai nodded, recognizing the switch. It was something that was rather obvious to most. In this mode Hinata barely stuttered when she talked due to any conversation relating to work and her voice lacked its usual brightness. These switches don't happen often, and Kurenai never really understood why they happened, but she had an idea that it was caused by something dealing with Hinata's emotions.

"Well, let's get back to work."

Hinata nodded as she got to her feet. It was time to start working.

* * *

Ino paused to take a glance around the docks. The whole area was rather lax, which was normal for this certain dock at this time of day. She continued on down the boardwalk, staring down the whole time. The salt rolling in off the coast filled her nose with its scent in a welcoming manner. Ino would have enjoyed the smell, but the rotting fish a few boats down currently made her feel like gagging.

Very few people waved to the girl once they vaguely recognized her due to her increasing visits. They hadn't thought much of it at first, but now it was becoming normal to see the blonde lady. Ino sighed inwardly, knowing she'd have to either find a different route soon or start wearing disguises so that no one would start recognizing her. She wasn't supposed to be here. Well, that's not correct. Ino could be at the docks, but it was just unusual for her to go out of her way and make the thirty-minute drive down to just visit. No, she would have just gone to the beach if she wanted to see the ocean.

The boardwalk ended, giving birth to a trail that would loop back around to the docks. On either side was foliage, still moist from dew, and rustling from the wind. This walkway was for hikers and joggers alike, marathons were often held on these straits, and it usually is very populated on warm days. The young woman jogged for about ten minutes before veering off path and heading in-between the overgrowth.

Sometime ago Ino had once been a young, adventurous girl with a big mouth, which still holds true, and would often walk the path. One day, she had gone of course to wrap around and beat Sakura at getting back to the docks, but had gotten lost instead. While lost, said girl happened to stumble upon a small section of beach, nothing big, just remote. Hidden within the shadows of a low bluff that rose above the small mass of sandy ground was a stilt-house. It was old and unused, desolate, but savable to the young child who took to it instantly, though it was no Barbie dream-house. It required elbow grease and a lot of begging for her parents to take her to the docks to _feed the starving fish_ so that she could slip away to check on it.

It had been ten months ago when she had finally made the elevated house livable again. Ever since she had received her license she visited more often, but the once every two week visits had increased over the last year to nearly three times a week, give or take a day. Of course, as a child the whole thing had been her own way of trying to grow up and find her own space, but her reasons now differed.

Things had changed for her once she turned fifteen. Her mother was killed in Shubuku under _classified _information and her father, head of the investigation bureau, wasn't allowed on the case due to his own ties with one of the victims. For three years since that night, Ino had been digging into the case, stealing documents under false pretenses of doing some made up research project, tracking down anyone in Shubuku who was there at the incident (many of which were on the photograph in the paper when the story was first published), which lead to both dead ends and new leads. No matter how small or nearly unimportant, she collected any details she could get. For awhile she had kept all her research hidden in her room, but her father almost found the stash, which would lead to him telling her to drop the case.

Ino couldn't do that.

She was going to track down the ones who murdered her mother and bring them to justice. Nothing, not even her own father, was going to stand in her way. This was something she had to do.

She arrived at the stilt-house and limped her way up the old, rickety steps. The wraparound porch, also known as the balcony, gently cried under her tennis shoes when she pressed on them, a few boards even being elevated mere millimeters. Ino made a mental note to find someone that could fix it later on, which would likely lead to a huge lie on how the place was hers and what-not. She opened the wooden door after giving pause to undo the deadbolt. Once inside she relocked the door and turned to greet the room for another unknown amount time.

The room was medium sized and a complete organized disaster. The furniture consisted of a desk, a chest or two, a weathered chair, and a hammock in the far corner across from all the old crates and boxes that were here before she ever found the place. The three windows in the room (two on opposite sides and the last on the back wall) were covered by tarps to keep out the elements and any prying eyes. Decorating the right hand side wall were clusters of overlapping papers that had notes written in the margins, faces circled, words underlined, scribbled out words, and other news articles both from the newspaper and online. Many were sorted in a complex array that linked to other events or people, some even starting to overlap. The long drawer of the desk held a thick manila folder brimming with articles that had yet to be sorted through for possible connections.

Ino pulled off her knapsack and drew it open in order to take out a fresh newspaper and a few articles she'd found recently. She also pulled out a pack of markers and a few rolls of tap to replace the dead ones in the drawer. Plopping into the chair, she rubbed her sore ankle while perusing the front page, but the only eye catching thing on the front page was the logo.

Her thoughts started to drift as she continued to look through the paper, centering on the events of last night. Her ankle throbbed, an indicator that it wasn't all just some dramatic scene her brain cooked up. She had seriously lost her cool and even let Hinata protect her! Well, that sounded kind of wrong to her. What she really meant was that she was supposed to be the one to get them out of trouble, not Hinata, her shy best friend who had already been _attacked_ by a sleaze-bag.

It was the damn shoe's fault! Ino knew that the price was too low for them to be durable, but she had worn them anyway. It was like wearing flats without coverage to protect against the backs rubbing against the skin, which would result in blisters and some blood. Kami, she was such an idiot! Though, she had to admit, using the shoe to stab at those assholes was both funny and fabulously deadly. Combining a deadly shoe stick with shy Hinata was nearly surreal, but scary. Ino jokingly made a mental note to never anger Hinata while any stilettos were present.

The blonde dejectedly tossed the newspaper on the desk, knowing that it was futile to try and read when her thoughts were elsewhere. She felt almost guilty for feeling relief at getting away and leaving her friend behind. It was a horrible thing, but she had panicked last night and ran away instead of insisting on staying. She hadn't even called Hinata to make sure she was alright! Instead she had gone home, put ice on her ankle while elevating it, and then fell asleep to old reruns of _The Fashion Police_. When she awoke this morning she had checked her phone for messages; there were two with one from Temari and the other from Sakura, letting her know that they were alright. Ino had responded that she had injured her ankle but made it out otherwise scot-free. The two never inquired about Hinata.

A sick feeling churned inside her lower abdomen at that. The two never asked about Hinata's well being though Ino only used words such as _I _and _my_. Did they already text Hinata and receive a notice or did they just assume that because Ino herself made it out then Hinata did too?

The internal pain encroached upon the rest of her body until Ino had had enough. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Hinata, asking her if she was alright and what had happened after she had left. Her frustration escalated as the minutes ticked on without a reply. She groaned and kicked the desk before laying her head on her arms. Honestly, Ino only knew bits about Hinata, such as she didn't talk about her home life, ever wanting to visit her at home was forbidden since her father's apparently super strict, she likes cinnamon rolls, she works at Shushuya, and she can only be reached through phone if she can't be found at work.

Ino knew other little facts, such as how Hinata wasn't very violent, she tended to stutter unless talking about things that interested her, business, or when in robot mode. The latter was never a very good sign. Ino also could tell that Hinata didn't like what she was doing, but couldn't very well back out of it. It was cruel of them, but it was the rules to hold penalties. Each of them had their own reasons for being there every Friday, some were private, such as Hinata's and her own, while others were more obvious, like Tenten and Sakura. Temari was more of a mystery. Her reasons seemed layered, but she was always there too. They had all created the pact. Back then, before everything was finalized, they could have pulled out like most of the others, but they didn't.

The blonde didn't consider herself to be ruthless. She just followed the rules she set in place to guide her. It may be a dick move, but she was using the others, but not in the same way they were using their clients. Each of the girls is more important to her and they play a very prominent supporting role in the grand scheme of things which, in this case, is Ino's master plan. She made friends with them, and it's hard on her when they want to quit. The rules were meant to be followed so that it deterred them from trying to leave. The beatings were her own way of punishing her pieces for leaving her side; her regret was for doing something so horrible to someone she considered a friend.

Ino glanced down at her phone in anticipation. Tenten had already left, leaving just the four of them left. She couldn't lose another one of them. She wouldn't allow it. Ino placed her phone on the desk, the hollow thunk echoing through the space, before picking the paper back up. She would give Hinata until five o'clock before heading out to Shushuya.

* * *

**AN: **In the first chapter there is a typo! Rule number one is supposed to read: Don't have sex.

Anyway, this is the last prewritten chapter from the summer. I'll try to update, but I'm really trying to finish my Ib fanfiction, White Roses.

Thank you for reading! How about a review?


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